Sam Altman-backed Praxis plans $1 billion AI-powered town in Uruguay; first residents expected in mid-2027 with homes, resorts and cultural spaces for the AI era |
Praxis, a technology-focused community backed by Apollo Projects, a fund associated with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, has selected Uruguay for its first physical development. The project involves a projected investment of about $1 billion in the +Colonia development near Colonia del Sacramento. The first Praxis residents are expected to arrive around mid-2027, while construction of the larger community continues over the following years. Plans include private residences, a resort and spaces for art, music and other cultural activities. Praxis presents the project as an experiment in how communities could live and organise in a future shaped by artificial intelligence.
Sam Altman-backed Praxis selects Uruguay for its $1 billion AI-powered town
After searching for a location for about two years, Praxis chose +Colonia, a waterfront urban development near Colonia del Sacramento, as the home of its first physical community. The location offers access to the Río de la Plata and is close to both Montevideo and Buenos Aires. Eduardo Bastitta, founder of +Colonia, has described the partnership as an opportunity to bring together technology, entrepreneurship and new forms of community living.Praxis says its wider online community has more than 150,000 members, including entrepreneurs, investors and people working in technology and artificial intelligence. About 2,700 members have expressed interest in moving to or investing in the Uruguay project. Rather than creating a completely new city on undeveloped land, Praxis is establishing its community within the existing +Colonia development, where construction is already underway.
$1 billion investment planned over several years
The $1 billion figure attached to the project represents projected investment, rather than money already spent on construction. According to El País and El Observador, the initial Praxis area is expected to cover approximately 350,000 square metres, or roughly 20% of the planned +Colonia urbanisation.Much of the projected spending is expected to be connected to residences and other facilities that Praxis members will purchase or develop. The land transaction is also expected to progress in stages. El País reported that the land sale had not been completed when Praxis announced the project, meaning the full development remains dependent on subsequent agreements, purchases and construction.
First residents expected in mid-2027
The first members of the Praxis community are expected to arrive at +Colonia around mid-2027, but that date does not represent the completion of the wider project.Instead, early residents are expected to move into buildings already being developed at +Colonia while the dedicated Praxis neighbourhood takes shape. This allows the community to establish a physical presence before the full range of planned facilities is completed.Dryden Brown, Praxis’s co-founder and CEO, is also expected to relocate to Uruguay as the project gets underway.
Homes, resorts and cultural spaces planned
The proposed community is designed to combine residential life with hospitality and cultural activities. Praxis plans private residences, a resort and spaces for art and music, alongside studios, galleries and workshops.The company’s vision also includes restaurants, nightlife venues, gardens, public squares, a waterfront promenade and a beach club. Photography, film and music production spaces are also planned, while fellowship programmes could bring artists, musicians, designers, writers and founders to the community.Concept images released by Praxis show minimalist buildings with large glass openings, landscaped areas and pools overlooking the waterfront. These remain proposed designs and do not guarantee that every structure shown will ultimately be built in the same form.
A community designed around the AI era
The physical development is closely tied to Praxis’s broader philosophy about the impact of artificial intelligence. The organisation says it wants to develop new cultural, economic and governance systems for what it describes as a post-AGI world.Its vision is centred on bringing together people involved in technology, entrepreneurship and creative fields and giving them a physical environment in which to live and collaborate as AI changes work and economic activity.However, the currently announced plans do not establish that the town will have AI-controlled utilities, autonomous transport or an AI-run government. The confirmed physical plans focus on housing, hospitality, cultural facilities and community spaces. In this context, the description of the project as “AI-powered” primarily reflects Praxis’s technology-driven vision rather than a confirmed specification for all of its infrastructure.
Sam Altman’s connection to Praxis
Altman’s connection to the project comes through Apollo Projects, which Uruguayan media identify as a fund associated with the OpenAI CEO and one of Praxis’s backers.That connection does not mean Altman personally owns or is directly developing the Uruguay project, nor does it mean OpenAI is building the community. Praxis is led by Brown, who has described the development as a way to explore how people might live, work and find purpose as artificial intelligence becomes increasingly influential.The involvement of an Altman-associated fund nevertheless places the project within the wider network of technology and AI investment that has emerged around the development of new communities and infrastructure.
+Colonia provides the physical foundation
Praxis is entering a development that already exists rather than starting with an empty site. +Colonia is being built as a large waterfront community near Colonia del Sacramento, with construction already underway.The existing buildings provide a starting point for Praxis’s first residents, while the dedicated neighbourhood can be developed progressively. According to El Observador, the initial Praxis area would account for roughly one-fifth of the broader +Colonia urbanisation.This arrangement also explains why the first residents can arrive in 2027 even though the larger project is expected to take considerably longer to develop.
Who is expected to live there?
Praxis’s wider community includes more than 150,000 people, but only a small portion are currently expected to relocate to Uruguay. Around 2,700 members have indicated interest in moving to or investing in the project.The proposed community is aimed at a mix of entrepreneurs, investors, technology professionals and creative workers. Alongside residential facilities, the planned studios, galleries, restaurants and cultural spaces are intended to encourage interaction between those groups.The result is intended to be less a conventional residential development and more a concentrated community built around technology, business and creative activity.
The project remains in its early stages
Despite its ambitious scale and futuristic designs, the Praxis development remains an evolving project. The $1 billion figure is a projection for future investment, while land acquisition and construction are expected to proceed in stages.For now, the most immediate milestone is the planned arrival of the first Praxis residents around mid-2027. The larger neighbourhood, including its homes, resort and cultural facilities, is expected to take shape over the years that follow.If the plans proceed as announced, the Uruguay project will give Praxis its first permanent physical base and turn its vision of an AI-era community from an online experiment into a real-world development.
